Trading a 3Ch for a 93' Rev F Dual Rec?

[mmarco]

A local deal has came up on a 1993 Rev F Dual Rectifier and ever since I've seen it I'm a bit restless and can't sleep well at night . I asked the user if he would be interested in trading my Pre Reborn 3Ch Dual Rectifier for it and he is willing to make the trade.

Now I have mixed feelings about it and I'd like to know what do you guys think and give me some advice..

The thing is I am still trying to dial in my 3ch Recto and after years of not playing that much, the quest for tweaking has begun again. I have always fiddled with my 3ch, and never quite seemed to get that fluid and warm mid roar without the fizziness and over the top high end sizzle/harshness. Sometimes I nail a good tone I am happy with especially in the past. I was planning to do do a few upgrades that would hopefully get me where I want.
A re-tube with EL-34 and a good preamp combo. Getting a Maxon OD808 in front and if this still won't do it, I'd go for an EQ in the loop. Pretty basic stuff, but so far I've always tried to dial in the tone stock without any pedals or any other upgrades whatsoever. I also think that the EMG81 on my Les Paul Studio is quite scooped and it's contributing to the harshness I get. I might switch the EMG's for a Bare Knuckle or SD with overall better mids and a bit warmer sound. I'm starting to hate my old EMG81-85s...

Would it be possible to get my 3Ch Recto sound closer to the Rev F, with all the upgrades mentioned and perhaps additional modding? The extra channel of my Dual, it's pristine condition(just a few shows and resting in a rehearsal studio most of it's time) vs the age of Rev F makes me unsure about this trade... Should I be worried about reliablity/age issues from the Rev F? It would be my only amp and I wouldn't like it to fail on me in a couple years..

He's selling it for 1350 Euro. Do you think that's a fair price for Europe and it's age? The owner said he didn't take care of it that much(looks wise). Would the trade be fair in this case or should I ask for a price difference, since mine is in excellent condition.. What do you guys think?

1993 Rev F Dual Rec

My 3Ch Pre Reborn Dual Rec

 

[tomprs]

Try it, then only decide. I wouldn't trade my 3 channel pre-2010 dual rec for an older recto. It sounds AWESOME. It's an amp that requires a lot of tweaking though ... I pretty much only use channel 1 for clean/crunch and 2 that I boost with a Maxon OD808 or Fulltone OCD. I have TAD 6L6GC in the poweramp and all Mesa 12AX7 in the preamp. Three tips:

-> play it loud, and the fizz goes away. That's definitely not a bedroom amp! Go halfway or almost and it sounds mighty.

-> stay conservative with the settings: between 9 o'clock and 1 is where I think you can get the best combinations. Maybe you could try this: presence 11 / Master 10-11 / Gain 12 / Bass 11 / Mids 11-12 / highs 10-11-12 + OD 808 volume maxed and gain at 0. Tone pot a bit before half way.

-> play it hard: it's a very reactive amp. The harder you will attack your strings, the meaner the amp will sound.

Anyway tone is VERY subjective

Tom.

 

[screamingdaisy]

With the EMG 81, roll the guitar's tone pot down to about 7 or 8 to take the edge off brightness. Alternatively, turn the volume pot down to 8 or 9 so you don't hit the front end of the amp quite as hard. I've used both tricks for years to take the fizz off my tone.

Beyond that, the question is can you live with only two channels? I rarely use my Rev F because I prefer having 3 channels.

 

[Elpelotero]

Tone is subjective, but for me the F would win in a side by side if comparing the Modern high gain channel only. The 3ch would probably be better for crunch and clean.

If it were my decision to make, I'd be analyzing the $$$. It strikes me as odd that the other guy immediately jumped to the opportunity of taking a brand new Rectifier for something that at the least needs to be dusted off. Bottom line is what's the street value of your amp vs. the street value of his amp? This is not the only Rev F on the market, there are many more.

 

[LesPaul70]

What he said. The "said he didn't take care of it that much" part sets off my mental alarm bells. At least perform a thorough amp health check before going ahead with the trade.

Other than that, I would personally pick an F over a Reborn, but yes, tone is subjective.

 

[Authorized Boogie]

It also looks as if its had the vinyl re-done.

 

[domct203]

The headshell on that RevF is not original, looks to have been re-tolexed in white.

Also, if the amp has not been cared for there could be damaged components in the amp, just because it makes sound does not mean it is not broken, and at that's amp's age it may need PS filter caps.

Have you ever played a RevF in depth? Compared to the 3-Ch it's still a Recto. It's not like going from a 1959SLP/Plexi to a SLO100, it's still a Recto.

If it was me, I would try the things you mentioned with your 3-channel, especially the front-end boost. Also try swapping your 81/85 positions, When I was playing the 81/85 set I put the 85 at the bridge and the 81 at the neck in my '74 Les Paul Custom, much fuller with the 85 at the bridge, and the 81 did not get muddy at the neck.

If you dig PAF sounding p'ups the EMG 57/66 set is killer.

Dom

 

[mmarco]

Thanks a lot everyone for the feedback provided, it's been really helpful in making a decision!

I changed my mind after all at the end of the day I am quite confident I can get a great sound from my Recto with extensive tweaking and some help for sure. I just played it these days and it sounded awesome. I did manage to dial in some great sounds after all the great input I received. I just think that it's not a fair trade after all, considering the age and maintenance of the amp. I would have probably got it as a second amp for sure. Anyways, I'll probably try it out just to see how that Rev F sounds as I have never played one.

-> play it loud, and the fizz goes away. That's definitely not a bedroom amp! Go halfway or almost and it sounds mighty.

-> stay conservative with the settings: between 9 o'clock and 1 is where I think you can get the best combinations. Maybe you could try this: presence 11 / Master 10-11 / Gain 12 / Bass 11 / Mids 11-12 / highs 10-11-12 + OD 808 volume maxed and gain at 0. Tone pot a bit before half way.

-> play it hard: it's a very reactive amp. The harder you will attack your strings, the meaner the amp will sound.

Thanks for sharing these settings, Tom! It's quite close to what I was using. The mid positions are definitely the best place to start the tweaking. I have also tried changing the pick(acrylic) I was using for a long time for an old school Dunlop and attack the strings harder. It made such a drastic change in tone I forgot it's importance as I'm sure many players do.. It gave more punch and attack to distorted rhythms. I'll probably still use the acrylic for recording cleans though.

With the EMG 81, roll the guitar's tone pot down to about 7 or 8 to take the edge off brightness. Alternatively, turn the volume pot down to 8 or 9 so you don't hit the front end of the amp quite as hard. I've used both tricks for years to take the fizz off my tone.

Beyond that, the question is can you live with only two channels? I rarely use my Rev F because I prefer having 3 channels.

Definitely a great advice! I started messing around with tone and volume and it surely helps! I was already hooked for 3 channels so It was an easy decision to make.

The headshell on that RevF is not original, looks to have been re-tolexed in white.

Also, if the amp has not been cared for there could be damaged components in the amp, just because it makes sound does not mean it is not broken, and at that's amp's age it may need PS filter caps.

Have you ever played a RevF in depth? Compared to the 3-Ch it's still a Recto. It's not like going from a 1959SLP/Plexi to a SLO100, it's still a Recto.

If it was me, I would try the things you mentioned with your 3-channel, especially the front-end boost. Also try swapping your 81/85 positions, When I was playing the 81/85 set I put the 85 at the bridge and the 81 at the neck in my '74 Les Paul Custom, much fuller with the 85 at the bridge, and the 81 did not get muddy at the neck.

If you dig PAF sounding p'ups the EMG 57/66 set is killer.

Dom

Yeah that's why I was reluctant to make the trade.. I'm thinking it was that old/bad looking that one of the previous owners changed the tolex. It's certain that not a lot of care was taken for this amp, and I would surely curious to see in what state the components are.

Yeah I agree a Recto is still a Recto, The next thing I'm going to try rolling out some pres in the V1 and switch to EL-34 to see if I like it better. I'll try swapping the EMGs as well, that's a good idea. I always find my 81 a bit to harsh, and the 85 way to bassy that I am not using it that much. It sure helps when I roll the tone/volume a few increments but I'd maybe give this a try before changing the PUs.

 

[TRENCHLORD]

Wise choice IMO.

 

[dlpasco]

I don't think I can say this enough: the reborn needs the fx loop level cranked more than any amp I've seen yet. Huge difference in tone, takes it from fizzy and vanishing in the mix to grinding roar

 

[afu]

I'd be worried about it being not plugged into a cab in the pictures.

 

[TRENCHLORD]

I don't think I can say this enough: the reborn needs the fx loop level cranked more than any amp I've seen yet. Huge difference in tone, takes it from fizzy and vanishing in the mix to grinding roar

Reborn? There isn't one in this thread. (but noted anyways lol)

 

[dlpasco]

I don't think I can say this enough: the reborn needs the fx loop level cranked more than any amp I've seen yet. Huge difference in tone, takes it from fizzy and vanishing in the mix to grinding roar

Reborn? There isn't one in this thread. (but noted anyways lol)

Wups. I missed the "pre" reborn bit. Blast.

Lol indeed.

 

[YellowJacket]

I'd say that a Rev F in good condition would sound noticeably better than the original 3 channel but losing the third channel is a bit of a kick in the teeth.